Longmont police: 80-year-old shooting suspect said he, his wife had been sick for a long time

Couple identified as Raymond and Judith Ecker

By Pierrette J. ShieldsLongmont Times-Call

Posted:
09/06/2013 02:37:51 PM MDT

Updated:
09/06/2013 10:30:12 PM MDT

LONGMONT -- An 80-year-old Longmont man told police dispatchers Thursday that both he and his wife had been sick for "a very long time," that he'd shot his wife fatally and planned to shoot himself as well.

Police found Raymond Ecker in his apartment at the Victoria Inn Apartments at 2400 17th Ave. on Thursday afternoon with a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to Longmont United Hospital, where he died at 9:05 p.m. Friday. His 72-year-old wife, Judith Ecker, was found dead of apparent gunshot wounds in the apartment. An autopsy was completed Friday afternoon to determine her cause and manner of death.

The ambulance carrying a male gunshot victim leaves the scene of a shooting at the Victoria Inn Apartments, at 2400 17th Ave., on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013. (Lewis Geyer/Times-Call)

Boulder County prosecutor Ryan Brackley said investigators are working to learn more about the couple's circumstances. According to a search warrant for the home, the man told police dispatchers that they should make arrangements to remove the bodies and contact the couple's son, who would know what to do with other arrangements.

"We are still in the process of collecting evidence to determine all the facts and circumstances surrounding this tragedy," Brackley said.

Raymond Ecker did not specify the nature of the couple's ailments in his call to police, according to the search warrant.

Police removed information in the publicly released version of the search warrant that identified the type of firearm used in the shootings. The warrant sought to recover evidence from the scene, including any documents that could shed additional light on possible planning.